Soccer Chick

Since Rian took a ballet / hip hop class (see previous post) Kami chose to sign up for spring soccer. She had a great time and really improved her skills. Here she is in action on the field. She is the one with pig tails and in a lime green shirt with black shorts. I also added a second video so I didn't leave Drew out of all this blogging. The video with him shows how he occupies himself while his big sis plays soccer.

Hip Hop Ballet

Rian just completed a five week ballet & hip hop class for 4 & 5 year olds. She really enjoyed the portion of the class dedicated to the hip hop dancing. Here she is in action! (sorry you have to tilt your head to watch these!)

Birthday Boy!

Drew turned 2 on April 30. He has grown so much over the last year! He is all boy, loves throwing anything he can pick up, likes cars, dumping sand from the sandbox onto the patio and playing on the swing set. He is a great little brother who can't resist a big squeeze from his big sisters. Here are some pics from his birthday party. Happy Birthday Drew "Bear" - we love you!!

Blog Hop - Check this out

Below is a link for a blog hop. What is a blog hop you ask? Well it is when a bunch of different blogs post the same code (html) for the same pics/info and that info/pics appears on all of the participating blogs. Basically it is a way to get a lot more exposure to what you want to showcase (like Etsy shops!). Here is my first attempt in participating in a blog hop. Hope it works!!

"X" marks the spot - A Treasure Hunt

Treasure Hunt

I'm so excited to announce the SAHM of Etsy Treasure Hunt! It's a great way to explore what the members of the SAHM of Etsy team have to offer! It's also a fun way to earn a really great prize!

The idea is simple. Participating members of the team will have the logo above hidden somewhere in their Etsy store, on their Facebook page, and on their blogs, you just have to find the logo, and tell us where you found it via the this form . For each logo you find, and tell us about you'll be entered into a drawing to win a gift box filled with lots of goodies made by members of the SAHM of Etsy team! You can find a list of participating shops here.

The Treasure Hunt will begin at midnight April 17 and end at midnight April 30. The winner will be announced here on the blog on May 1. Happy hunting!

Rules

-Three winners will be drawn and announced on the blog on May 1. Winners have 24 hours to claim their prize by writing "claimed" in the comments section under the blog announcement

- To enter the drawing you must fill out this form giving the link and position of the logo (for examplel [X-link] fourth product pic, or [X-link] left side half way down), and your name. The information entered on the form goes to a private spreadsheet that only the administrators of the team will have access to.

- You can find as many logos as you want. Your name will be entered into the drawing once for each logo you find. The more you find the better your chances are of winning.

- By entering the drawing, you agree to pay for the total cost of shipping the prize basket to you, should you win.

Good Luck!! Happy Hunting.

Orange You Glad!

Knock, knock

Who's there?

Banana.

Banana Who?

Knock, knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana Who?

Knock, knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana Who?

KNOCK, KNOCK

Who's there?

Orange

Orange who?

Orange you glad I didn't say banana!!

This is EXACTLY how Kami and Rian told the joke the other day - including their very own props!! Brought new life and laughter to an old old knock knock joke! Hope you enjoyed!

Maple Syrup in March

We are so lucky to have Blandford Nature Center right down the road from our house. It is a great place to take the kids for a nature adventure and hike or to see some injured animals being cared for by the staff at the nature center. This time of year however is especially exciting as it is the time when sugar maple trees produce sap which can be turned into maple syrup. Blandford has an entire hiking patch well marked for visitors to see the process, tools and equipment used to harvest the sap, strain it, store it and boil it to turn into maple syrup. They even have a sugar house where you can watch volunteers/staff working to turn the sap into syrup. It smells amazing in the sugar house by the way!! The kids learned a lot, got to taste the syrup and eat some maple sugar candies. Overall it was a great way to spend an afternoon. Here are some pictures of our gang out on the trail.

Sheep Shearing

This past Saturday we enjoyed a field trip with our great friends, the Allen's at Shady Side Farm in West Olive. I heard about the shearing day via the West Michigan Etsy Team of which the owner of Shady Side Farm (Lona) belongs. This is just one of the great opportunities I have come across while becoming an active member of this team! The kids were encouraged to use all of their senses to learn about the process of shearing sheep, feeding sheep, observing new lambs and experiencing the barn as well as learning what people do with the fleece after it has been taken from the sheep and cleaned. They just loved squishing and smelling the freshly sheared fleece and watching the newly sheared sheep leap up and run down the length of the barn back to the herd. They had to pay attention so that they weren't knocked over by any of the sheep! The baby lambs were absolutely adorable! The girls begged to take one home as a pet which I said when they grow up they can live on a sheep farm and have as many baby lambs as they want - Rian has already named her future lamb "Flower".

After the girls had enough time in the barn we headed across the farm to another building where fiber artists were hard at work showing off their beautiful items crafted with wool. The kids saw socks being hand cranked on an antique sock knitting machine as well as wool being felted by Barb of Pit Bull Lady Designs. Barb was so patient as she was practically attacked by 5 super excited and curious little girls all wanting to watch/touch/see her in action as well as look at her finished products. (Thanks Barb!!). The balls of colored roving were amazing! We all enjoyed feeling the soft colorful texture of the roving and the yarn. The girls also had an opportunity to learn how the roving was turned into usable yarn by watching three women expertly spin the roving with a spinning wheel. They even got a chance to "help" spin a little yarn themselves.

Little Jenny the fairy

My fabric scrap pile has started to grow lately and even though I'd love to use the scraps to make a little quilt of some sort I opted for a quick new project resulting in little Jenny the fairy. She is a cute little gal who loves to play, snuggle or just hang around as a small companion. She is for sale in my Etsy shop http://www.sapucha.etsy.com/ and some of her friends will hopefully follow. I'm leaving the naming of these little ones up to my girls who love being included in this process.

Homemade Finger Paints

I realize I'm losing my mind since I already posted this fingerpainting activity....but hey maybe you didn't see the original posting or just wanted to see it again- SO consider this a re-run posting!! Sorry!

Looking for a quick and easy craft to do on a rainy or snowy or sick day? How about homemade finger paints! We painted with our finger paints on freezer paper since one side is coated in plastic and the other is paper plus you can tear off large sheets for them to use. Freezer paper is found by the tinfoil and saran wrap sections of your local grocery store. If you don't have freezer paper any paper will do. Here are some pictures of the kids and the recipe for finger paints that uses items you already have on hand in your own cupboards:



2 T. sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch
2 c. cold water
1/4c clear liquid dish soap (optional)
1 Mix together sugar and cornstarch in a small pan, then slowly add cold water.

2 Cook over low heat, stirring until the mixture becomes a smooth; almost clear gel about 5 minutes.

3 When it's cool, stir in clear dish washing liquid.

4 Scoop equal amounts of the mixture into containers and stir in food coloring or, for even more vibrant colors, use food-coloring paste. (if you want to add "scent" add a little bit of powdered cool aid)